392848 – Microsoft Edge: Auto-discarding Sleeping Tabs

Product:

Microsoft Edge

Platform:

Web, World tenant

Status:

In development

Change type:

Links:

Details:

Tabs that have been sleeping for a long time will be discarded to save memory. When a user navigates back to a discarded tab, the tab will need to be reloaded. This can be managed through the AutoDiscardSleepingTabsEnabled policy. This policy will be enabled if the SleepingTabsEnabled policy is enabled.

Change Category:
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Scope:
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Release Phase:
General Availability

Created:
2024-04-10

updated:
2024-09-14

Docu to Check

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MS workload name

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Direct effects for Operations**

- Impact on IT Operations
- Increased memory management requirements
- IT administrators may need to monitor memory usage more closely to ensure that the auto-discarding feature does not lead to performance degradation.
- Role impacted: IT Operations Team
- Potential for increased network traffic
- Reloading discarded tabs may lead to spikes in network usage, affecting bandwidth and potentially slowing down other services.
- Role impacted: Network Administrators

- Impact on IT Services
- User experience disruption
- Users may experience delays when accessing previously discarded tabs, leading to frustration and decreased productivity.
- Role impacted: End Users
- Dependency on web applications
- Applications that rely on persistent sessions may face issues if users are logged out upon reloading discarded tabs.
- Role impacted: Application Support Teams

- Impact on IT Users
- Change in workflow
- Users may need to adapt their workflow to account for the need to reload tabs, which could disrupt established habits and processes.
- Role impacted: All Employees
- Increased support requests
- Users unfamiliar with the new behavior may submit more support tickets, leading to increased workload for IT support teams.
- Role impacted: IT Helpdesk Staff

References:
- Microsoft Edge Sleeping Tabs Feature: [Microsoft Documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-enterprise/edge-sleeping-tabs)
- Impact of Tab Management on User Experience: [User Experience Research](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tab-management/)

Opportunities**

- Optimize Memory Usage with Auto-Discarding Sleeping Tabs
- Implement the AutoDiscardSleepingTabsEnabled policy to automatically discard tabs that have been inactive for a long time, thereby reducing memory usage and improving overall browser performance.
- Roles that might profit:
- IT Operations Team: Improved system performance and reduced resource consumption.
- End Users: Enhanced browsing experience with faster load times for active tabs.

- User Training on Tab Management
- Conduct training sessions for users on how to effectively manage their tabs, including the implications of sleeping tabs and how to quickly restore them. This can help users adapt to the new behavior of Edge and minimize frustration.
- Roles that might profit:
- End Users: Increased productivity and reduced downtime when navigating back to previously discarded tabs.
- IT Support Team: Fewer support tickets related to tab management issues.

- Monitor and Adjust Browser Policies
- Regularly review and adjust the AutoDiscardSleepingTabsEnabled policy based on user feedback and performance metrics. This will ensure that the policy aligns with user needs while optimizing resource usage.
- Roles that might profit:
- IT Administration: Better control over browser performance and user experience.
- Management: Enhanced visibility into IT operations and user satisfaction metrics.

References:
- Microsoft Edge Sleeping Tabs Feature: [Microsoft Documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-enterprise/policies/policy-list)

Potentional Risks**

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